Road construction equipment, such as paving machines, are used for constructing road surfaces by laying leveling and preliminarily compacting paving material such as asphalt. The paving material is added to the hoppers of a paving machine by a dump truck. The material is transferred from the hoppers to a hopper conveyor of the paving machine. The hoppers and apron are raised or lowered to gravity feed an optimum pile of the paving material over the hopper conveyor. The material from the hopper conveyor is conveyed to a distributing auger on a rear end of the paving machine. The distributing auger lays the material on a paving surface as a stockpile. As the paving machine moves forward, the stockpile is flattened by a screed mounted on the rear end of the paving machine. The screed compacts the material over the width of the paving surface. For a smooth paved surface, there is a need for constant speed and consistent supply of the material to the hopper conveyor. Hence, the hopper and the apron needs to be raised and lowered to maintain consistent supply of the paving material for hopper conveyor. The hoppers and apron are controlled by a control system for an up/down movement.
Traditionally, the control system includes a keypad or control panel which has a plurality of keys or buttons or switch to control the up/down movement of the hoppers and the apron. There are buttons corresponding to the up/down movements of the hoppers and the apron. An operator initiates a process of emptying the material from the hoppers and/or apron by pressing the corresponding buttons. The operator holds the buttons throughout the process of emptying the material from the hoppers and the apron, or returning the hoppers and the apron to their starting position. As the operator holds the buttons, the control system actuates the corresponding functions for which the buttons are pressed. Such a control system is exhausting, less ergonomic and tedious for the operator as the operator needs to hold one or more of the buttons of the keypad, throughout the emptying process or while returning them to their starting position. Hence, there is a need for a control system that may enable the operator to work in a productive manner with better ergonomics.